Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Team Hotshots
by 8BitMusic
Summary: After the days of the original Team Go-Getters, a young, inexperienced Combusken starts a rescue team on his own to track down a Pokémon egg thief. But what happens when a vision catches up with him?
1. Chapter 1

I started this fic while Delinquent Duo and Cut Man X were "in their teens" so to speak. I got the inspiration after watching the Mystery Dungeon Special on TV. You may notice that most of these elements are in the new Exploration Team games. However, this fic did start out way before then. Just clearing things up.

Oh yeah! Before I begin, I'll slap on my disclaimer once again.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or any game in the Mystery Dungeon series. I want to, but I don't. That's how it is.**

* * *

Prologue

Since the "falling star" incident, natural disasters have calmed somewhat, but are still a constant threat. Certain Pokémon, however, have taken advantage of the situation to commit crimes. The tasks of Pokémon Rescue Teams have been expanded to that of modern police forces. Even so, they continue to work hard and get the job done right.

"Just like me! Combusken Jin!"

For the last time, it's not your cue yet!

"Well, excuse me! Geez, what's your problem?"

Ahem. As I was saying, long past were the days of the rival teams Go-Getters and Meanies. However, their legacy is not forgotten. This is the story of the birth of a new Rescue Team…

SMASH! The sound of a breaking window wakes up two expecting parents, Ludicolo and Cacturne. That sound came from the nest! The two parents rushed over and found that their eggs were missing. Cacturne ran to the broken window to see a small black Pokémon quickly running off with three green eggs!

"No! Stop!" the mother Cacturne cried as she launched a Pin Missile attack at the thief, but it was easily countered by a strong, snowy Blizzard attack. Though thoroughly chilled, Cacturne tried to defend herself from the snow and by the time the attack subsided, the thief was gone and so were the eggs.

"Come back here!" Cacturne tried to run after them, but Ludicolo grabbed her by the arms.

"You can't go, Cacturne!" Ludicolo said, "You're weakened by that Blizzard! That guy'll rip you apart!"

"No!" Cacturne said as she struggled to get out of Ludicolo's arms. "I can't let that thief get away! I want my eggs back! They're about ready to hatch!"

Chapter 1

The next day, it seemed as though nothing happened. The sun shone brightly as a pair of Wingull soared through the air. At a small, wooden hut on the outskirts of Pokémon Square, the front door opened and a young Combusken named Jin stepped out. He let out a big yawn before stretching his arms. He strolled over to a tree nearby and gave it a good hard kick, causing an apple to fall out and drop right into his hand. Just as he was about to take a bite, a familiar squawking sound was heard.

"Maaaaaaaail caaaaaaaall!"

"Hmm?" Jin looked up and saw something flying toward his hut. "Pelipper's here early."

Jin ran back to his hut just as a large Pelipper arrived to put a small package in his mailbox.

"Pell! This is unexpected. You being early?"

"Yes, I know," Pelipper said. "I've been working since dawn to get mail to all the Rescue Teams. I never thought I'd get so exhausted this soon."

"What's the big deal?"

"Take a look at this." Pelipper reached inside his bill and pulled out a wanted poster. On it was a picture of a rather feral black Pokémon with red feathers adorning its head and neck. "You know who that is. It's the egg thief, Weavile. He's struck again last night. Mrs. Cacturne is giving elder Noctowl a rough time of it."

"Well, I might as well check it out. Oh, by the way, did my package arrive?"

"Of course. Can't start a Rescue Team without it, y'know. Well, I must be off. I still have mail to deliver! I'll see you tomorrow!" And with that, Pelipper flapped his wings and flew off. "Carrying all this mail makes it so much harder to fly," Jin heard him say.

Jin opened his mailbox and pulled out his package. He smiled with joy as he opened it anxiously. Inside was a small toolbox with a shoulder strap. He opened the latches and inside that was a white-over-pink egg-shaped badge with wings and a little manual.

"Sweet!" Jin shouted, punching the air, "My Starter Set has finally arrived! Now, let's get to Town!"

Jin swung the toolbox over his shoulder and sped off towards town.

"Look out, bad guys. Here comes Team Hot Shots!"

Pokémon Square. An ever-bustling community on an ever-growing island, lots of Pokémon do their best and run shops to sell and store items. The newest addition to the town is a large fountain shaped like the previous elder, a giant Whiscash. Water flowed from its mouth and the tips of its whiskers in a beautiful arc. It was at this very fountain where a yellow Noctowl kept his eyes shut and stayed unwillingly patient as he was getting chewed out by a very irate Cacturne. With her was her husband, Ludicolo, who covered his ears with his hands; a Torkoal, who was crying hysterically; a Hoothoot, a Nidorino, and a Nidorina.

"This is the third time this month!" Cacturne yelled, "It's not just me, you know. It's Torkoal's eggs and Nidorino and Nidorina's too! You have to do something to stop this, I'm begging you! I've waited to be a mother for so long!" It was all Noctowl could do to tune out that nonstop ranting.

"Honey, please calm down," Ludicolo said with a hint of frustration. "Elder Noctowl is doing everything in his power to help, but…"

"But NOTHING!" Cacturne grabbed Ludicolo by the arm and swung him around angrily, tossing him into the fountain. Had Noctowl not stepped to the side, he would've taken a swim in the fountain as well. It was at that point that Noctowl opened his eyes.

"Mrs. Cacturne," Noctowl spoke calmly, "I assure you, we have plenty of Rescue Teams who would risk their lives to bring down that despicable Weavile fellow. Even as we speak, Bellossom and the others are searching for him."

"Bellossom?" Cacturne wiped her tears. "You mean from Team Beauties, right?"

"Hey dad!" Hoothoot spoke up, hopping over the crowd. "About Team Beauties…I thought they were on assignment in the Old Iron Mines to rescue Ralts!"

"Hoo, that's right, son," Noctowl answered, putting his right wing over his beak. "I imagine they won't be back for some time." It was at that point, that Cacturne glared at Noctowl threateningly, letting her dark-type attribute show. Noctowl, however, remained calm. "I have said it before. We have plenty of Rescue Teams who would risk their lives…"

"Yes, yes, I know about that," Cacturne answered angrily, "so where are they?"

"Right here, lady!"

Cacturne and the others turned around. There he was: Jin, standing high and mighty, with his arms folded, and his badge in hand, as bishonen flower petals fell from the sky.

"My name is Combusken Jin, the first member of Team Hot Shots! Reporting for duty, sir! (All right, that's enough)" Jin stepped toward Noctowl and Cacturne as flower petals continued to fall.

"Now, I understand that…" A vein blossomed in Jin's head. "…I SAID THAT'S ENOUGH!" Jin snapped. The flower petals stopped falling as Pelipper immediately closed his mouth.

"All right, already!" Pelipper spit out a few more petals before flying off again.

"Don't you have deliveries to make?!"

"That badge of yours, Jin," Noctowl began. "I can see you're normal rank since you've just started. But are you the only member of your team?"

Jin scratched his head nervously. "Uh…sort of. I was hoping to recruit new members as I went. What, is that a problem?"

"Hoo! No, it's not a problem at all!" Noctowl said, satisfied. "Though it is a tad risky sending a one man team, I have my confidence in you, Jin. I hereby grant you permission to investigate Obsidian Cave, where we believe Weavile may be hiding."

"You won't be sorry," Jin said proudly. "By the way, Mrs. Cacturne…when did you say your eggs were supposed to hatch?"

"Well…" Cacturne thought for a minute. "…they were supposed to hatch in three hours when they were stolen…why?"

Jin folded his arms and thought for a second. "Odds are at least _one_ of them must've hatched by now…right?"

SMACK!

"OW!"

* * *

Now, let me describe some of the characters in this fic.

Name: Jin  
Species: Combusken  
Team: Hotshots  
Jin had been living in Pokémon Square for a few months after the elder Noctowl took him in. After settling into a wooden hut, Jin had been receiving several odd looks from the Pokémon who lived in the area, wondering how a Combusken would just show up out of the blue and with no memory of his former self whatsoever. He'd heard about Rescue Teams and decided to start one himself in order to earn the trust of the other townsfolk. Despite being a fire-type, he cannot do any Fire attacks whatsoever and despite keeping this information to himself as hard as he can, somehow, this embarrassing secret managed to leak out among the villagers.

Name: Elder  
Species: Noctowl  
Team: None  
After the passing of the previous elder, a giant Whiscash, everyone decided to appoint Noctowl as the town elder. He has a son named Hoothoot who also helps in his administrative duties by helping place job offers on the Pelipper Post Office Bulletin Board. And yes, this particular Noctowl is a shiny, but he's not as small as Ash's Noctowl. He's actually 5'3", an average size.

Names: Ludicolo and Cacturne  
Species: Self-explanatory  
Team: None  
These two "loveboids" have been courted for almost half a year now. Ludicolo is a laid-back scaredy-cat, while his wife, Cacturne, is strict and mean. They've wanted to be parents for a long time so you can imagine how happy they were when they finally had their eggs. And you can also imagine how upset they were when they were stolen.

Name: Bellossom  
Species: Self-explanatory  
Team: Beauties  
Team Beauties is composed of only female Pokémon. We won't hear from this team until later in the fic.

Name: Weavile  
Occupation: Thief  
Why this Pokémon is stealing eggs is unknown.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you WardMonkeyXVII for the review.

Chapter 2

"CAAAAACNEAAAAAAA!!"

"Stop that incessant noise!!"

Jin was right. On the other side of Obsidian Cave, right outside the exit, a baby Cacnea was wailing its little lungs out. Its abductor, Weavile, was doing all it could to block out the noise.

"That's it! I've had it! I can barely hear myself think!"

One could tell, because Weavile was angry enough to stuff a Sleep Seed into Cacnea's mouth. Once Cacnea swallowed the seed, he fell asleep in what seemed to be seconds. Weavile then growled and turned around.

"Grr…this is why I prefer my eggs _fresh!_" Weavile stomped off, breaking a few of the green eggshells that littered the floor.

Meanwhile, Jin had arrived at the entrance of Obsidian Cave. Looking inside, Jin could see how the cave got its name, as the walls were line with lots of reflective black obsidian rock. He was feeling a little nervous, since he'd never been in there before and thus, he had no idea what kind of Pokémon were inside.

"Man, this place is creepy," Jin said, "but I can't let that bother me. I've got a job to do. Hmm?" It was right then and there that a pair of Zubats flew into the cave. _Maybe they know a quick way through!_

Jin went into the cave, following the Zubats. However, a few minutes in, he realized he was not only in enemy territory, but he was also…lost.

"Uh…okay," Jin said to himself as he continued walking, "I can deal with this. It's not like I haven't gotten lost before."

Not long after that, he tripped over something and stumbled for a bit. He looked behind him and realized it was something's tail. A very _large _something's tail. At that same time, a low growling noise was heard. Jin started to see something towering over him. Under a ray of light that came in through a hole in the ceiling, Jin realized that he just woke up and ticked off a sleeping Onix. And a big one, too. Jin's eyes were as wide as dinner plates.

"Uh…yeah," Jin said. "That sucker's huge."

Onix let out a loud bellowing roar that seemed to wake up the entire cave before swinging its tail at Jin. Jin, who couldn't see it coming, got slammed against the hard obsidian wall, ending up with a nice-sized bruise on his chest and several cuts on his back.

"That's a mean Rock Throw," Jin said as he got back on his feet, "but at least I know where you are now!" Jin ran forward and jumped high into the air.

"Time for my Double Kick!" Jin managed to land a hard kick on Onix's nose, but Onix pushed him back. He landed on his feet this time and Onix let loose another loud roar (Screech) making Jin cover his ears (who knows? Maybe they're under his feathers). It was then and there that Jin was slammed to the ground once again by another Rock Throw attack. He struggled as much as he could to get back up.

"I don't think I can keep this up," Jin muttered. A green smoke emanated from Onix's mouth. But as it prepared to attack…

"Go! Water Pulse!"

From out of nowhere, a burst of water blasted Onix right in the face. Jin looked around to see where the attack came from and found none other than Ludicolo bounding his way.

It was no surprise that Jin was confused. "Ludicolo?! What in blazes are you doing here?!"

"I'll explain later! Water Pulse!" Ludicolo let loose another blast of water from his mouth, plastering Onix and causing it to hit the ground hard. He then turned to the fallen Combusken. "Are you all right, kid?"

"I'll be fine," Jin said. "But what are you doing here anyways?"

Ludicolo's face turned bright red. "Well, ya see…my wife didn't exactly have full confidence in you…so…uh…she kinda sent me for backup." Ludicolo smiled sheepishly, expecting a lecture, but Jin merely got back on his feet and laughed.

"That Cacturne's got you so whipped!"

"Don't you talk about her like that!" Ludicolo snapped angrily. "You should be grateful she even bothered to send me here!"

"Come on, I'm kidding!" Jin said, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his head. "I'm glad you came. I am! You saved my tail feathers back there. I am a bit disappointed, though. I thought I could handle that Onix easy."

"You are a fighting type, that's true," Ludicolo said, "but you're also a fire type, which means you're not invulnerable to rock attacks. But you did put up a great fight, though!"

"Yeah," Jin said, still a little downcast. "How did you find me anyway?"

"I used this thing to light up the cave walls." Ludicolo held a glowing blue orb in the palm of his hand. "It's called a Flash Orb."

"You're a lifesaver, old timer," Jin said as he took the orb from Ludicolo. "Thanks."

"No problem," Ludicolo said. "I also found an Oran Berry on the way here, too."

"I'll just hold onto that," Jin replied, putting the Oran Berry in the toolbox, "for now, anyway. We have to get through this cave if we wanna find those eggs."

Ludicolo swallowed a lump in his throat as he followed Jin through the cave. "Uh…yeah. Sure."

"What's wrong, Ludicolo?" Jin sneered. "Don't tell me you're scared of a 'mystery dungeon'?"

Mission Update: Escort Ludicolo through Obsidian Cave.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

A little later…

"BWAAAAAAAH!!"

"Ludicolo," a frustrated Jin said as Ludicolo jumped into his arms, "those are Zubats. This whole cave is crawling with them. If you don't hurt them, they won't hurt you."

"Oh." Ludicolo got back on his feet. "W-Well, they might've been armed. Y-Y-You just don't know these things."

"Are you sure you're going to be all right?"

"Don't worry about me," Ludicolo responded. "I gave my word to Cacturne. I may be a coward, but I don't plan on leaving yet."

Jin smiled. "Glad to hear it. Now let's keep going. I think we're almost at the other side." As Jin walked, he heard something crack under his foot. He looked down and saw that he stepped on an eggshell. "Oh yeah. We're getting close all right."

Ludicolo saw the eggshell under Jin's foot and screamed like a little girl, causing the feathers on Jin's neck to stand on end.

"What is wrong with you?!"

"Those are one of ours!" Ludicolo pointed out. "I'd recognize those green shells anywhere!"

"Well, then I think we better move quick, don'cha think?"

Minutes later, they finally found the exit. Ludicolo stretched his arms to take in the sunlight.

"Now this is more like it," Ludicolo said. "Guess we won't need this thing anymore." He tossed away the Flash Orb, which had burned out most of its light by now and was starting to smoke. "So where do we go from here?"

"That's the problem," Jin said. "I don't exactly have a map of this place."

"CACNEAAAA!!"

Combusken and Ludicolo's eyes both widened. They could hear a screaming voice at the top of the cliff. "Did you hear that?!" they both asked in unison.

"CAAAACNEAAAA!!"

Jin looked up towards one of the cliffs, trying to block the sun from his eyes. "It's coming from that cliff up there!"

"IT'S A BOY!" Ludicolo jumped in excitement and immediately bounded ahead.

"Old guy, wait!" Jin yelled.

"I've been waiting so long for this!" Ludicolo shouted with joy. "Come to papa-AAH!!" Ludicolo tripped over a rock and fell flat on his face. Jin put his hand on his face and walked over to help him up.

"What part of 'stealth' don't you understand?"

"Sorry."

After a little…uh…discussion, the two continued heading up to the cliff where baby Cacnea was being held hostage. The rays of the sun laid down on them hard. Ludicolo, however, couldn't tell because he was being shaded by that crazy lotus sombrero. Jin, who was leading the way, was feeling the heat quite a bit, but that didn't stop him. After all, he is a fire type.

"Man, it's hot," Jin said as he felt his stomach growl, "and I'm getting hungry. I wish I'd eaten that apple when I had the chance. By the way, Ludicolo?"

"Yah?"

"We may face more danger once we reach the top of the cliff. I'm sure I can get your baby back, but are you sure you want to follow me the whole way up?"

"Of course I do!" Ludicolo said, fiercely. "I promised my sweet Cacturne I would."

Jin looked at him shrewdly. "That's strange. If anyone else had asked you, you'd hide behind the nearest tree you can find. And now, you're telling me you promised her?"

Ludicolo closed his eyes. "What are you insinuating, little man? I just want Cacturne to be happy." He felt a tear run from his eye. "When I met her…I was just a young Lombre working closely with elder Whiscash."

"Not again…" Jin put a hand to his head in frustration, as Ludicolo would proudly tell anyone who would listen about the time they met.

"At the time, I knew there was something special about her. I just couldn't see it past her shrewdness. When she was attacked by a wild Weezing, I used my Nature Power attack to save her. Of course, I got badly poisoned in the process…but now that I think about it, if I hadn't gotten poisoned, she wouldn't have treated me, and I never would've gotten to see her kinder side. She's a tomboy at heart, yes, but she is truly one of the sweetest Pokémon I've ever met. And that's why…huh?"

"Are you coming or not?!"

Jin wasn't listening. Ludicolo's jaw dropped as Jin was far ahead of him.

"Ohhh…wait up!"

Minutes later…

Jin and Ludicolo had arrived at the top of the cliff. And lying against one of the rock walls was Cacnea, still sleeping like a baby. Of course, Ludicolo was so overjoyed that he bounded forward right past Jin.

"No! Ludicolo, wait!"

But it was too late. A strong blizzard came out of nowhere. Jin covered his face to shield himself until the attack subsided. Being a fire type, Jin was not to be frozen so easily. The same, however, cannot be said for Ludicolo and Cacnea, as they were both frozen in solid ice.

"Oh no…" Jin said with frightened, wide eyes.

"Hehehehe…"

A faint laugh pierced the horrified silence. Jin looked around anxiously. "Show yourself!"

Another blizzard surrounded the area and Jin shielded his eyes again. He lowered his arms a bit and saw a shadowy figure in the raging snow, laughing softly.

"What's the matter? Don't tell me you're upset? Or is it that you…are scared?"

* * *

Duo-san: Ooh! Now we're getting to my favorite part thus far.


	4. Chapter 4

I'm very disappointed by the lack of reviews. I'll just put up whatever chapters I have completed and be done with this.

Chapter 4 – Boss Battle: VS Weavile

Jin blinked as the blizzard calmed and Weavile made its presence known. Its eyes were completely white. No color could be seen in them. What was up with that? It kept its arms folded as it stared at Jin, who seemed to be at a loss for words. Well…_almost_ at a loss.

"YOU'RE A FREAKIN' GIRL?!" Jin shouted on impulse.

While most would consider that rude, Weavile merely laughed again and tugged gingerly on her left ear. "You sure know how to figure me out. Female Weavile and Sneasel have smaller ears than the males, but I'm sure you already knew that."

"Why were you stealing Pokémon eggs?" Jin demanded to know.

"I needed to eat," Weavile said in an I'm-better-than-you voice. "Got a problem with that, bird face?"

"Huh?!" Jin's eyes widened horribly. "You…you…?!"

"Yes. They've always been my primary diet. And why change such a good thing? My personal preference was always fire Pokémon eggs (Jin gulped at this comment), but I thought I'd try a little something different."

Jin grimaced. "The eggshells in the cave…"

"Unfortunately, those grass eggs made for a sorry meal. As you know by now, those eggs were nowhere near fresh and _now_ look what I had to put up with! Little Cacnea just wouldn't stop screaming, so I had to get it to shut up somehow. And as always, my Blizzard attack worked like a charm!"

"Unfreeze Ludicolo and Cacnea now!"

"Oh, so demanding. Why don't you just defrost them yourself, little man? Are you a fire type or not?"

Jin recoiled in surprise. He would defrost them…if he could. Did she possibly know…?

"Oh, wait," Weavile added, stroking her claws over her feathery collar, "I'd totally forgotten. You _can't_, can you? I'd heard a juicy tidbit from the townsfolk that you can't use fire attacks.But of course, I wanted to hear it from the Horsea's mouth since it sounded so ridiculous."

Jin narrowed his eyes. "It's true…I can't use any fire attacks whatsoever…no matter how hard I try, I'm all smoke and no singe. But that won't stop me from beating you."

"Hm?" Weavile raised an eyebrow.

"Weavile are dark _and_ ice type Pokémon," Jin said, raising his claws. "As much as I don't like fighting girls, I think I can beat you with my fighting moves alone."

"You're a lively one," Weavile said, unfolding her arms. "Hopefully, you'll last longer than those two."

"You talk too much!" Jin shouted as he charged at Weavile and swung his claws at her, but Weavile narrowly dodged them by ducking back. Jin then swung out a Double Kick, but Weavile jumped into the air and formed a mass of black energy in her claws.

"Take this! Shadow Ball!" Weavile launched the Shadow Ball straight down at Jin, who leapt back before it exploded, sending him careening back further than intended. He fell on his back, cringing a bit as he tried to get up. He immediately felt a slicing pain across his chest, however and screamed to the sky. A lot of his feathers were torn off due to Weavile's Slash attack.

"Don't tell me you're done already?" Weavile said, licking her claws. "Maybe you should at least try to learn Ember before taking me on."

"I may not know any fire attacks," Jin said, defiantly, springing back to his feet, "but I'm just getting warmed up! HERE!" Jin dug his claws into the ground and threw a handful of sand into Weavile's face.

"ACK! You little…RRGH! How dare you!" Weavile struggled hard to wipe the Sand Attack from her eyes, but before she could, Jin was already back on his feet.

"Let's try this again! Double Kick!" Jin launched himself into the air, extending his right leg first, sending Weavile tumbling back too quick for the second one to connect. However, before Jin could connect a second Double Kick attack, Weavile ducked out of the way and Jin slammed into the rock wall, making a nice-sized dent.

"OW! Owowowow…" Jin hobbled a bit as he got his foot out of the wall. He noticed that Weavile was gone again and looked around anxiously, in case of another sneak attack.

"Over here, boy!" Weavile was up in the air, charging up another Shadow Ball. When she sent it flying down his way, Jin had to hide behind a rock formation to dodge the Shadow Ball.

"I don't think I can keep this up much longer," Jin said to himself. "My power is too low and I haven't recovered enough from that fight with Onix…wait!" Jin opened up his toolbox, and swallowed the Oran Berry inside, reminding himself to thank Ludicolo and Cacturne later.

Weavile was growing impatient of Jin keeping her waiting behind those rocks. She folded her arms and narrowed her eyes. Before she could decide to go back there, she froze. She felt a sort of heat generating from behind the rocks. _What? That's Focus Energy!_

Jin leapt out from behind the rock formation and charged at Weavile, who looked nothing less than shocked. He shouldn't be able to move this fast! That power must've come from the Focus Energy attack. Before she could think of a response, she had to move back again to avoid Jin's Scratch attack, but not enough to avoid him plucking one of the feathers from her collar.

"What's the matter, lady?" Jin said. "You asked if I was going to last longer, so what are you waiting for?"

Weavile growled angrily, letting loose a huge Blizzard attack. Jin raised his arms again, watching carefully for any movement, even from the air. But this time, Weavile was fully prepared. Using the blizzard to her advantage, Weavile snuck up from behind Jin and raised her claws, but Jin wasn't having any of that. He immediately reached behind and grabbed her by the hand and swung her over his shoulder, slamming her into the wall. This was then followed up by a Double Kick, which connected both times this time, leaving a nice Weavile-shaped crater in the rock wall. Eventually, the blizzard stopped and Weavile came out of her little crater and fell face down. Jin stepped back, beside himself about his impressive strength.

"Let's try this again," Jin said, going on a whim. He took a deep breath and shot out…a puff of smoke. He sulked in disappointment. "…Even after all that, I still can't do it. Well, I guess this time it's understandable. Those Blizzard attacks made the air too cold. I can't get my flames to work like this. Still…nothing like a good smoke."

At that point, Jin heard a groan. He walked back to Weavile and turned her over as she opened her eyes. What was strange now was that they were no longer colorless, but returned to their natural red.

"Uh…what happened?" Weavile said, groggily, putting a hand to her head. This voice was not the same vicious voice as before, but a somewhat warmer voice. _Somewhat_. "Can't remember…anything…"

"How dumb do you think I am?" Jin said in a huff.

Weavile looked at Jin with a confused look in her eyes. "Who are you…and why does my body hurt so bad?"

Jin's eyes widened. "You really don't remember anything? Anything at all?"

Weavile struggled to raise her right arm. "I…don't…think…" Whatever she was going to say couldn't be finished. Weavile fainted, but Jin had already put a hand under her head before she fell asleep.

"Well, at least this mess is settled," Jin said, before turning to the still frozen Ludicolo and Cacnea. "Now, what am I going to do with those two?"


	5. Chapter 5

Depending on my mood, I may continue this fic because I've already got a good plot going in my head, but I can't figure out how to get it out. Also, I'm working on another Pokémon fic, but it's not a Mystery Dungeon fic.

Chapter 5

Later…

Cacturne's eyes widened in horror as she looked upon her husband and only child frozen into an ice sculpture in the middle of Pokémon Square. Her arms shook in horror as she fell to her knees. Jin, who had a still unconscious Weavile on his back, put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Cacturne," Jin said. "I couldn't unfreeze 'em, so I had to push 'em all the way back."

"Oh…Ludi…" Cacturne slumped on the ice sculpture, crying dryly. "This is my fault! I never should've sent you up there!"

"It's not your fault!" Jin protested.

"Don't tell me it's not when you know it is!" Cacturne rounded on Jin before crying against the ice sculpture again, praying that she wished she knew Sunny Day instead of Sandstorm.

"Come now, Cacturne," Elder Noctowl said, placing a wing on her other shoulder. "Your tears will freeze you to the thing as well." That, of course, didn't make any sense. She, like any other Cacturne, only had a little bit of water in her system. She couldn't shed tears even if she tried.

"Besides," Noctowl continued, "I'm sure they will be fine. All it will take is a week under the sun for the ice to melt and they'll thaw themselves the rest of the way."

Jin continued to watch as Cacturne sobbed hysterically. All this time, he thought she was a heartless witch of a Pokémon who enjoyed driving men crazy. He never imagined a day that he would see her like this.

"M…Mrs. Cacturne…I'm really sorry."

Cacturne turned to see Jin shuddering. At that moment she stopped crying.

"I know you wanted to be a mother for a long time," Combusken said, quietly, "but now, Ludicolo and Cacnea are frozen solid. And I can't do anything because I don't know any fire type moves. I…I'm just so weak! I should never have started a rescue team!"

Jin's dramatic speech was interrupted when Cacturne hugged him. That was scary enough, but the thing that really scared Jin was that she was the big spike in her belly that he had to be careful of. And somehow, Weavile had fallen off his back and lain back gracefully on the ground

"Don't you ever say that," Cacturne said. "I'm just glad you brought them back to me in one piece."

Seeing and hearing Cacturne like this, Jin couldn't help but feel sympathetic. As soon as Ludicolo and Cacnea were thawed out, he felt she would make a great mother.

"All right!" Cacturne immediately released and shoved Jin aside, nearly sending him into the fountain. "Five hundred Pokémoney for anyone who helps to shove these two home!" Surprisingly, the only ones who volunteered were the Nidorino/Nidorina couple, a Seedot, and a Sentret. And of course, Cacturne was barking orders the whole way. "Move it! Move it! Move it!"

Noctowl waited until he was sure that Cacturne couldn't hear him before he spoke. "Well, now that that's out of the way, what about her?" Noctowl gestured over to Weavile, who was still out cold.

"She's been like this ever since I beat her at the cliffs," Jin said, kneeling down to examine her. "Before she passed out, she said she didn't remember anything. And before I fought her…her eyes were colorless and blank. But after the fight, the color returned."

"Very troublesome indeed," Noctowl said, tilting his head. Jin recognized that posture, and could tell that he's always thinking hard whenever he tilts his head like that. "I will take care of her."

Jin raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that, old bird? I mean, you know she's an ice type and right now, she's as predictable as a newborn Spinda's spot patterns."

Noctowl glared at Jin and flapped his wings furiously. "HOO! Are you doubting my abilities, youngling? I do think I can handle one rogue Weavile, thank you!"

"Dude, chill out!" Jin said, waving his hands defensively.

Noctowl cleared his throat. "If it turns out that this Weavile truly doesn't remember what happened or where she is right now, then I will have nothing to fear for the time being. Son?"

"Yes, dad?" Hoothoot came hopping over to his father, shifting from one foot to the other.

"Be a sport and help me carry Weavile back to the Whiscash pond."

"Okay." Hoothoot hefted Weavile onto his back. Due to his small wings, Hoothoot wasn't very good at flying and with a Weavile on his back, he actually had to walk the whole way back.

"By the way," Noctowl continued, "have you been able to recruit any new members for your Rescue Team?"

"Uh…" Jin scratched his head nervously. "…No. Not really. I guess I got a bit carried away with my work."

"Don't let it bother you," Noctowl said. "I'm sure you will have a fine team yet. But for now, I suggest you go home and get some rest." And with that, Noctowl stretched out his wings and took off, flying the path that his son took. Jin then stretched his arms out and headed off in the direction of his hut.

"I'll buy some items tomorrow. I'm too tired right now…"

That night…

"Nngh…where am I?"

Jin seemed to be standing in a forest and there was white mist clouding his vision wherever he looked.

"HELLO?! IS ANYONE THERE?!" Jin's voice echoed through the forest, but through the mist he soon laid eyes on the silhouette. It looked like a Pokémon!

"Who are you?"

The silhouette responded, but Jin could barely hear the words coming from its mouth. In nearly an instant, the silhouette disappeared into the white mist.

"Huh? Wha…WAIT!" Jin called out, but the silhouette was long gone and would not return. For a while Jin simply stared into space while pondering what the silhouette said.

"Huh? …Human?"

* * *

Yes. Human. I bet you all saw that coming. Now, in case you haven't played Diamond/Pearl, male Cacturne have four small thorns lining their bellies while females have two small thorns and one big thorn in the middle.

Next mission: Jin goes item shopping and his next client _hobbles_ up to him. What the heck happened?!


	6. Chapter 6

And so begins a new mission. You're probably wondering what took so long. Well, I keep getting distracted by other fanfics and that pesky thing called "life". Oh, and to answer what I'm sure you've all been wondering, why doesn't Jin know any fire attacks? Actually, he does. He's just having trouble knowing how to use them. After all, let's be realistic. If you just woke up as a Pokémon, would you know how to use your attacks right off the bat? Not only that, but I thought it would be more exciting if Jin had a more close-range fighting style. What do you guys think?

Chapter 6

"We did a lot of work today huh, Mama?"

In a nearby forest, a hyper little Teddiursa happily swung from a mother Ursaring's left paw. In Ursaring's other paw was a jar of honey.

"Yes, dear," Ursaring answered her son. "This much honey should last us until at least next week. Let's be thankful those Combees were happy to help us."

Ursaring suddenly stopped and Teddiursa dangled from her paw while looking up at his mother.

"What's wrong, Mama?"

Ursaring sniffed the air for a second before setting down her son and handing him the honey jar. "Take this and go home."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Don't argue with me! Just go!"

Teddiursa took the honey jar and scampered off, trying desperately not to spill any. He couldn't help but worry for his mother and stopped to watch from behind a tree.

"All right, you!" Ursaring roared. "I know you've been watching us so come out and face me!"

Teddiursa couldn't make out what Ursaring was yelling at, but a flash of blinding blue light caused Teddiursa to drop and spill the honey jar.

* * *

Jin woke up the next morning with a painful headache. He stared groggily at the ceiling wondering just what that dream was about. That forest with the white mist. That shadow that called him…what was it again?

"Human?"

After getting himself in order, Jin stepped out of his hut and looked down at his hands.

_Noctowl's son found me lying on the beach. It was him who suggested that I start a Rescue Team. After being here for a few months and getting accustomed to this place, I guess I kinda forgot I used to be human. Come to think of it…I still can't remember how I got here…or any of my memories as a human. Only my name…Jin…_

"Eh," Jin said with a shrug. "Can't worry about that now. I've got to get some supplies from Pokémon Square."

Now, readers, allow me to tell you about some of the shops at Pokémon Square. The Item Shop is a musty little stand with plenty of bargain priced berries and scarves and such. The place is currently run by a lone Bibarel named Bob. And where are the Kecleon Brothers, you ask? They decided to move their shop to Treasure Town up North. Felicity Bank, where Pokémon keep their money, of course, is run by a rather crafty Persian named Felix. The Warehouse is a place where Rescue Teams can keep items stored in specific vaults. This place is run by Kangaskhan and her son, Kangas Jr. The Friend Zone Circle is run by the gossipy Skitty Sisters: Eneko and Aneko. That shop is currently closed because not everything is set up for sale yet. There is one more shop that also isn't open yet. No one knows what goes on in that place.

"This is gonna be tricky," Jin said, peering into his toolbox. "I didn't get much money from my first rescue mission, so I'll have to be careful about this."

Jin's first stop was the Item Shop, then to the Pelipper Post Office to see if any missions were currently open. Of course, Bob was already asleep with his chin resting on the counter.

"Bob! BOB!"

"WOOOOOOWEE!" Bob shot straight up and started reciting this prepared speech. "Welcome to Discount Bob's where these prices're crazier than a Primeape!"

Jin simply stared at Bob while he ranted on about his "discount prices" before Jin had to hold Bob's mouth shut with his hand.

"Nice to see you too."

Bob wrenched his mouth out of Jin's grip. "Sorry about that there, Jinny boy. Couldn't get much sleep last night. So what can I do ya fer?"

"Do you have any berries?"

"Of course I do! Just gimme a sec." Bob slapped his tail on the counter, much to Jin's annoyance as the Bibarel searched his cabinets for anything worth purchasing. Bob eventually came back up with a small crate full of assorted berries.

"Shipping's down a little," Bob said, "but I can sell you these. These Oran berries are worth 10 Pokémoney each, the Pecha berries are worth 15 a pop, and these Rawst berries are worth 15 each. Oh! And these apples are worth 5 each. Now that's a bargain."

"No Gummies?" Jin scratched his head. "I don't have much money so…gimme one of each."

"SOLD!" Bob said happily as Jin slammed the toolbox on the counter. While Bob was loading his things, Jin heard a voice behind him.

"Excuse me…"

Jin turned to meet with this soft-spoken voice. It came from a little Pachirisu, who looked rather battered and bruised. Its breathing was heavy, and judging by its tone of voice, it was definitely a girl.

"A-are you Jin?"

"People _and_ Pokémon call me that."

"I'm Reese," the Pachirisu said. "I was told…you were the one who helped…Mrs. Cacturne, right?"

Jin raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? So do you need me for something?"

"Yes." Reese stopped to wipe her mouth. "I live in a place called Wild Forest. Right now, there's a big Pokémon running wild, tearing up the place left and right. I was lucky to get out alive, but these bruises of mine have slowed me down in getting here." Reese suddenly lost her footing and had to lean on the side of Bob's stand to keep from falling.

"Take it easy," Jin said. "I'm not in a hurry."

"You should be," Reese said, weakly. "At the rate it's going, the place will be reduced to rubble in a matter of days…"

"All right," Jin said, rather hastily. "I'll take the job. But first…" Jin put a little more money on the counter. "One more Oran berry."

"You got it, boy." Bob handed Jin another little blue berry from the crate and Jin gave it to Reese.

"Y-You're…?"

"You just barely made it here in one piece," Jin said. "This'll help you recover."

"Th-thank you." Reese took a nibble out of the Oran berry and almost immediately, she could feel the relief spreading through her body. As she wolfed down the rest of it, her bruises seemed to disappear and she immediately stood up straight, stretching her little arms and bushy tail out in relief. "Chi-PAAAAA! I love it!"

"Well, thanks for the job," Jin said, walking off. "I won't let you down!"

"Wait!"

Jin stopped and turned to face Reese. "The Wild Forest is like…I dunno…a maze of flowers and trees and stuff. You could get lost without someone to guide you."

"Where are you going with this?"

"Let me help you," Reese looked up at Jin with huge doe eyes. "I will help guide you there!"

"Eh?" Jin raised an eyebrow.

"I may not be as strong as other Pokémon, but my Spark attack never fails!"

"If you say so," Jin said. "I'll grant you special permission to join Team Hotshots. By the way, what kind of Pokémon is attacking your forest anyway?"

"You know, it's strange," Reese said. "This Pokémon used to be so kind and loving. We have no idea what would make her act like this. Her name is Ursaring."

* * *

Hope that was worth the wait. In the next chapter, the mission begins but what Jin and Resse don't know is that they've got a spy on their backs.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"All right, so let me get this straight," Jin said. "One Pokémon did all THIS?!"

After walking a bit through the designated area, this Wild Forest, Jin and Reese arrived at what appeared to be a disaster area. Trees were either burnt through or crashed down as though they were pulled down and broken in half. Reese the Pachirisu felt a sweatdrop on the back of her head.

"Well, it has been a while since I left the forest to get help," Reese said. "Honestly, I didn't know what team I would find first."

Jin sweatdropped. "Yeah. Now I feel better. Anyway, are you sure you know where to go?"

"Just keep me safe," Reese said, "and I will do you no wrong. I guarantee you that."

And right after Reese spoke, an explosion rang out, causing a pair of Nuzleaf to come running their way. "EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF!" they both shouted.

"What the…?!" Jin and Reese had to guard themselves from an incoming Razor Leaf attack.

"Go ahead!" Reese shouted. "I'll cover you!"

Jin managed to take out one of the Nuzleaf with a Double Kick, while Reese ran ahead and nailed the other one with a well aimed Quick Attack.

"We gotta hurry up, Jin!" Reese shouted. "The Pokémon here are already getting agitated!"

"No kidding," Jin said bluntly. He immediately ran after Reese into the rampaged forest. However, he didn't notice a Machop watching and snickering from close behind.

"What a mess he got into," Machop said before running off. "I gotta tell the boss about this."

Jin and Reese continued to wander through the forest for about seven minutes. Reese was actually sitting on Jin's head because she was so tired of walking with those stubby little legs.

"So tell me more about this Ursaring."

"Like I said before, she's usually very kind and rarely lashes out at anyone unless they really irritate her. Usually, I see her heading out to gather honey and berries at least once a week. And…um…" The Pachirisu scratched her head as she started to blush. "She also has a son. A Teddiursa cub. He's…um…a very good friend of mine and…"

"And," Jin decided to add with a grin, "you're crushing on this Teddiursa big time, am I right?"

"WHAT?!" Reese's face turned bright red. "I am not crushing at all!"

"You are such a liar!"

"Do you want my help or not?!"

"All right, all right."

Reese's cheeks were puffed up in frustration while Jin was trying to restrain his laughter. But still, he just couldn't help himself.

"I guess Pachirisu don't learn Sweet Kiss for nothing, right?"

Reese's cheeks started to spark angrily, but they stopped when she heard someone crying. "What's that?"

"It's coming from behind that tree," Jin said. He ran to the side of the tree and saw a Teddiursa crying his little heart out. Reese immediately hopped down from Jin's head and approached Teddiursa cautiously.

"…Benny?"

And just like that, the Teddiursa, Benny, stopped crying. He lowered his paws to see Reese standing in front of him.

"R-R-Reese…"

Suddenly, Benny's tears started to well up again and he immediately embraced Reese in a tearful hug. Reese started blushing like crazy and let loose an abrupt Discharge, zapping everything in the vicinity including Benny, who fell on his back afterwards. Jin, however, had hidden behind another tree to avoid the Discharge attack.

_Guess that's tough love,_ Jin thought.

"I'm really sorry, Benny," Reese said for the third time.

"It's okay," Benny said, rubbing his head. "Who's the big guy?" Teddiursa pointed at Jin, who still rested against the tree.

"Oh! Uh…um…" Reese waved her hands madly while pushing Jin towards Benny, as though Reese was using him as a shield. "This is Jin. He's starting a new Rescue Team!"

"Jin?" Benny blinked. "You don't have any other guys with you?"

"Yeah," Jin said with a sweatdrop. "I'm just kinda winging it right now. So…what happened to your mom anyway? Why is she doing this?"

"I don't know what happened to her," Benny said with a sob. "We were heading home after gathering honey. Then my mama told me to stay back. Then I saw this shadowy thing behind the trees and a flash of blue light and that was it."

"A flash of blue light?" Jin put his claws to his chin. _Sounds like some kind of Psychic attack._ "You two wait here. I'll go find Ursaring."

"YOU CAN'T!"

Both Jin and Reese were taken aback by this sudden outburst.

"You can't," Benny said, looking like he was going to cry again. "Please don't hurt my mama."

Jin opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything. He kept looking back at Reese as though asking for help. Reese, however, didn't say a word.

"You're not giving me much of a choice," Jin said. "I have to do _something. _I mean, look around! This place is a wreck and innocent Pokémon are getting hurt."

"But…" Benny hiccupped. "But…"

"Look." Jin scratched his head anxiously. "I won't hurt her, but I will need to knock her out somehow. I promise not to go overboard."

The little bear rubbed his eyes and looked up at Jin. "Do you mean it?"

"Yes," Jin said. "But I'm going to need your help. And yours too, Reese."

"You can count on me," Reese said.

"O-Okay," Benny sniffled.

And without warning, a Hyper Beam blasted a hole right through the tree Benny was sitting under. The wood started to crack and Jin had to grab Reese and Benny and get them away as the tree crashed to the ground. Jin's eyes widened as an angry Ursaring stomped into his sight and bellowed angrily.

"Oh, isn't that wonderful."

* * *

The second "boss fight" is underway, but with Jin just promising not to hurt Ursaring, he won't have much to work with. Lucky him, another team's arrived to steal his thunder.

...Okay, maybe that isn't so lucky.


	8. Chapter 8

Due to lack of interest, I'll be discontinuing this story right here. However, I'm also considering making a second Mystery Dungeon story based on the Time and Darkness games. I really hope that one turns out better.

Chapter 8 – VS Ursaring: Team Lowblow Intrudes?!

Benny's eyes widened horribly as he watched his mother flail furiously. Jin wasn't even sure what to make of this, but then he noticed her eyes were completely blank. _Just like Weavile. Are they connected somehow?_

"MAMA!"

Jin snapped out of his reverie as Benny ran to his mother.

"Mama, why are you doing this? You have to stop!"

"Benny, wait!" Reese shouted.

Benny, however, was immediately swept aside and slammed into a tree by Ursaring, falling unconscious immediately after that.

"Benny!" Immediately after, Ursaring took Reese by the tail and swung her around and sent her sailing straight up. She would've gone right into the stratosphere had she not gotten her tail stuck in another tree.

"Jin," Reese shouted, "you have to stop Ursaring before she hurts anyone else!"

"How do I do that without hurting her?!" Jin said, just as Ursaring stomped up to him. Jin slowly turned and looked up at Ursaring's face. For some reason, despite the type advantage, Jin felt a little scared. He didn't even notice Ursaring swinging her mighty claws until he got tossed aside like a rag doll. He tumbled across the ground and skidded into a tree.

Jin shook his head as he struggled to get up. _I have to think of something…_

"GRAAAAARGH!!"

Jin quickly sprung out of the way as Ursaring's claw came down and skewered a hole in the ground. He continued to jump back to avoid the snarling Ursaring's Slash attacks. Eventually he backed up into yet another tree.

"What's with all these trees?! …Oh yeah. Forest."

Jin had to duck down quick when Ursaring lunged at him. Because of this, however, Ursaring slammed her head right into that same tree. A few quiet seconds passed before she fell on her back, unconscious.

By this time, Reese had already climbed down from the tree she was in and trotted over to Jin and Ursaring.

"I-Is it over?" Reese asked.

Suddenly, Ursaring's eyes shot open and she fired a Hyper Beam straight up from her mouth, breaking a lot of tree branches from above and causing Jin to stumble back. Jin had to scoop the little Pachirisu into his arms and run to get out of the way of the deluge of thick branches, which completely buried poor Pooh-bear, I mean Ursaring.

"That's gotta hurt," Jin said.

"Jin," Reese said, "where's Benny?"

Jin looked around anxiously and saw the little bear still out cold by the tree. As Jin ran to pick him up as well, Ursaring burst from the pile of tree branches. She was now royally angry.

"She's certainly…" Reese thought for a moment. "…durable."

"Geez Laweez," Jin said with a vein in the back of his head. "What does it take to stop her already?!"

Ursaring launched yet another Hyper Beam, which took down quite a number of trees this time. Had Jin not run to the side, that Hyper Beam would've blown his head off.

"A Double Kick would knock the wind right out of her," Jin said.

"But Benny said…"

"WHATEVER!" Jin snapped. "Reese, I'm running out of options. It's do or die now! Are you going to help me or not?!"

Reese's eyes widened horribly. She looked like she was about to cry. "I…I just…"

"MAMA!"

Whatever Reese was going to say was cut off when Benny got up and clung desperately to his mother, trying futilely to push her back.

"Mama, please stop this! I know you don't want to hurt anyone!"

But despite Benny's pleas, Ursaring continued to thrash wildly before setting her blank eyes on Teddiursa.

"STOP IT, PLEASE!"

Ursaring raised her arms, preparing to do a Hammer Arm attack on her own son! By this point, Jin had officially had enough and started to run at Ursaring.

"You crazy little fool! You're gonna get yourself killed!"

"Outta the way, losers!"

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a big ball of mud sailed and splattered right in Ursaring's face. Benny fell over as Ursaring stumbled back, struggling to wipe the mud from her eyes.

"A Mud Bomb?" Reese wondered. "Where'd that come from?"

"Aw man…" Jin said, putting a hand to his temple. "Not these guys."

"_These_ guys? That's no way to talk about Team Lowblow."

That gruff voice belonged to a Toxicroak who stepped out into the clearing, sticking a Corsola twig between his teeth. He was followed by a Machop and a Breloom.

"Who are those Pokémon?" Reese asked as she ran over to Benny.

"Team Lowblow," Jin said. "Most rescue teams work for the good of Pokémon. But these guys are just a bunch of reckless punks."

"There you go shootin' your mouth off again," Toxicroak said, "but no matter how much you shoot, you're never gonna get those flames workin' if you don't man up! I can't believe you're havin' trouble against this lightweight anyway! Don't be such a chicken!"

"HEY! Not. Cool."

"Don't hurt her…" Benny mumbled, grabbing the other team's attention. "Please…"

"Benny, try not to move," Reese said.

"Ah, don't worry kid," Toxicroak said with a sneer. "We'll just knock her out for a bit. Breloom, do the honors!"

"I'm on it, boss!" Breloom sprang forward, just as Ursaring was about to get her bearings again. "Have a taste of my Spore attack!" Breloom shot out a cloud of white spores from his mouth, covering Ursaring's entire face.

"I get it," Jin said. "He's gonna use Spore to put Ursaring to sleep."

"Got that right," Toxicroak said, folding his arms. "That's the advantage of having more team members. You can't even hold a candle to us by your lonesome."

"GRAAAAARGH!" Suddenly, Ursaring used her Thrash attack and plowed down Breloom easily. He had to crawl back desperately not to get flattened by her mighty arms again.

"Uh…Toxicroak," Jin said, "it's not working!"

"What the heck was that?!" Toxicroak yelled. "I thought you put her to sleep, mook!"

"I thought so too!" Breloom said, watching Ursaring continue her rampage. "And that should've worked!"

"What's with this chick anyway, boss?" Machop said. "It's like she's hypnotized or something."

"Hypnotized…?" Jin said, thinking for a second. "Hypnosis! Someone must've used Hypnosis on Ursaring!"

"You mean someone's _making_ her do this?!" Reese nearly shrieked while moving Benny out of the way.

"That would explain why Spore didn't work," Toxicroak said, tugging the sac on his throat. "In that case…Machop!"

"Yeah, boss?"

"Get in there and use Wake-up Slap!"

"Oh, I gotcha!" Machop quickly ran ahead, but he had to duck back a bit to avoid getting viciously squished by the rampaging Ursaring. He then jumped in the air… "Rise and shine!" …and smacked Ursaring hard in the face, causing her to stumble back and nearly crush both Benny and Reese. Thankfully, Jin was there to scoop them both out of the way.

"Could you guys _please_ not crush my clients?!" Jin snapped.

"Seeing as how we did all the work," Toxicroak said, "I don't think you got any right to yell at us."

"Hey, she's waking up!" Breloom said.

Ursaring slowly pushed herself up and rubbed her face. "Goodness me…I had such an awful nightmare…WHAT HAPPENED TO THE WOODS?!"

"Mama!"

Benny promptly jumped out of Jin's arm and hugged his mother's leg.

"B-Benny?" Ursaring was clearly confused. "I-I don't understand. What's going on? And why does my head hurt so bad?"

"I'll tell ya what's goin' on," Toxicroak said, drawing Ursaring's attention. "You were tearin' up the forest so we had to knock you out for a bit."

"WHAT?!"

Jin quickly got in front of Toxicroak. "Uh…to be fair, you were sorta hypnotized at the time, so…it's not like any of this is your fault."

"Oh, I remember now," Ursaring said, sitting down and scratching her head. "I remember this flash of blue…and then…I was gone."

"You were scary, Mama," Benny said.

Jin bowed politely to Ursaring. "We're sorry we had to beat you up, ma'am."

"Sorry?!" Toxicroak shoved Jin out of the way. He'd clearly had enough of being ignored. "We're just a buncha guys doin' our jobs. As far as we're concerned, what we did was collateral damage. Speaking of jobs…" Toxicroak crouched down and pointed his Corsola twig at Benny. "…I'd like to talk about our payment."

"Payment?!" Jin yelled. "You messed up _my _job _and_ you endangered my clients!"

"Stay outta this ya chicken!" Toxicroak snapped.

"Are you saying you put my son in danger?" Ursaring growled, easily towering over Toxicroak and his team.

"No way, lady," Toxicroak said, crossing his arms. "That was all you. You're the one who almost crushed the little guy!"

"_After_ Machop used Wake-Up Slap on her," Jin muttered before Toxicroak put his hand over Jin's mouth.

"Don't listen to this guy," Toxicroak said hastily. "These rookies are delusional these days. Cuckoo, cuckoo, ya know?"

"Son," Ursaring asked Benny, "is that Combusken with these ruffians too?"

"No. Reese asked him for help."

Toxicroak's jaw didn't have time to drop as he had taken a powerful Hammer Arm in the gut and sent careening back into a tree.

"BOSS!" Breloom and Machop quickly ran back to check up on Toxicroak, who was now lying on his back with his mouth wide open and tongue hanging out. However, it didn't take long for them to be overshadowed by the mother Ursaring once again. Machop's eyes were as big as saucers while Breloom's face went completely white.

"BOO!"

At that instant, Breloom screamed like a little girl and dragged Toxicroak away by the legs. Machop ran after them as well, but not before shouting a little warning: "This ain't over! You lameazoids are on Team Lowblow's list! Guys, wait for me!"

After Machop ran away, Jin let out a heavy sigh. "That's twice I messed up a job."

"Don't feel bad, Jin," Reese said as she scurried over to him. "I mean, you were doing great before Toxicroak's gang showed up."

"And you kept my son and Reese safe," Ursaring said. "I think that calls for a reward. What do you think, Reese?"

"Huh?" Reese blinked, confused for a second. "Oh! Right! Almost forgot!" From seemingly out of nowhere, Reese pulled out a cloth patterned like an Aron's shell.

"What is it?" Jin asked.

"This is a Defense Scarf," Reese said. "Wearing this can give your defense a boost!"

"Not bad," Jin said, putting the scarf in his toolbox. "This is a nice little deal. Thanks. Anyway, I'd better get going."

"Don't be a stranger," Ursaring said. She didn't notice that her son had been staring at Jin for a good while with a strange look in his eyes…

Eventually…

Jin soon made it back to Pokémon Square. His new scarf, as it turned out, looked rather stylish on him. He felt like a ninja. Even more so when he did a Double Kick on a nearby tree, causing two apples to fall into his hands.

"Not bad for an appetizer," Jin said, "but I'll need more than this for dinner."

"Um…Mr. Jin?"

"Hm?" Jin turned and looked down…at Benny the Teddiursa?! Apparently, he must've followed him all the way out of the forest. "What are you doing here?"

"Um…you see…" Benny felt a little nervous as he put his paws together. "I…I want to join your team."

"Huh?!" Jin said in disbelief.

"You said you didn't have many team members, right?"

"So you just feel sorry for me?"

"No!" Benny said, hastily. "The thing is…I wanna grow up to be like you. And what better way then joining your Rescue Team, right?"

Jin crouched down to eye level with the little bear. "Does your mom know about this?"

"I already talked it over with her," Benny said with a little more courage. "She thinks it's a great idea! Please, let me join?"

Jin couldn't help but admire the little guy's spirit. He placed one of his apples in Benny's sticky paws before walking off.

"Come on. We need to get more food. Apparently, I'm having dinner for two now."

Benny smiled happily. "Yes sir!"


End file.
